-from the The Mother Earth News:

Shane Smith wrote an article for the April/May 2013 issue of the Mother Earth News about building your own greenhouse to bust the winter gardening blues!

People who love gardens also love greenhouses. The best backyard greenhouses feed the need to dirty our fingers while the rest of the garden is dormant. Even a small greenhouse can provide effective season extension by jump-starting seedlings in spring. When managed properly, a greenhouse is a backyard oasis that yields fresh food year-round.

If a lack of construction skills is keeping you from building a greenhouse, consider a kit. The best greenhouse kit is one that fits your needs and your pocketbook. Continue reading →

Quote

“A well-designed attached home greenhouse can heat your home, provide fresh food and flowers. It is no longer a question of whether you can afford a greenhouse, but whether you can afford to not have a home greenhouse”
– Shane Smith

Aside

Laugh at winter… make summer last all year!

“Another alternative is a greenhouse design developed in northern China in the mid-1980s that relies primarily or entirely on solar energy for heat. By 2000 these greenhouses already covered about 260 thousand hectares (650 thousand acres) in northern China, and by 2004 they were supplying residents of northern China with 90% of their fresh produce in winter… Continue reading →

Aside

Buying a greenhouse? The closer your greenhouse is to your home the better the care it will receive from you. Better yet if you can attach the greenhouse to your home or garage then the greenhouse will not only provide you with food and flowers but will also help to heat your indoor living space in winter.

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About the Author:

“Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion,” written by Shane Smith and published by Fulcrum, is a top selling greenhouse book for home hobbyists. It was first released in 1982 and is now in its 3rd edition.

Smith has been the director (and a founder) of the Cheyenne Botanic Garden, Wyoming’s only public botanic garden. It is a volunteer-centered project (mostly seniors, youth and handicapped volunteers) with an emphasis on community and sustainability.

We Value Your Feedback!

Send us your ideas for how to improve the book Greenhouse Gardener's Companion for the next 4th edition being developed right now. Email to shane@greenhousegarden.com.

Note to our Readers

While we must have advertisers to help support this extensive web site, we are not beholden to any company nor do we have any hopes to sell you on anything. Our only hope is to help you become a great greenhouse gardener!

Copyright Notice:

Reproduction or printing of material from this web site is strictly prohibited. A majority of the material is excerpted from the book Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion, by Shane Smith.